Emily Shur

Emily Shur has a comic’s sense of humor, a conceptualist’s talent for the unexpected, and a fashionista’s inclination for beauty. She is known for portraits that beckon viewers with a sly wink while always showing her subjects in their best light, whether it’s a celebrity, superstar athlete, everyday newsmaker, or cast talent. Having got her start as a documentary shooter, Emily is equally drawn to found moments that become compelling when framed by her camera. In 2017, Kehrer Verlag published her first monograph, Super Extra Natural!, showcasing 135 photographs shot on film during 12 years of happy wanderings in Japan. “It was clear from the start that in Japan I had found my place—a country whose natural beauty is accentuated by thoughtful design, a culture that values simplicity and kindness, yet also embraces the completely absurd,” the publisher noted in an interview with The Guardian. Emily majored in photography at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, graduating with the Artist Award for Creative Excellence. She won the Art Director’s Club Young Guns global competition early in her career, and her images have since been published in Milk and Honey: Contemporary Art in California, Photographers’ Sketchbooks, and eight editions of American Photography, among other collections. She has exhibited her work in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and London's National Portrait Gallery. She lives in Los Angeles.